News

Youth pills do nothing to stop the tide of time, say scientists

HEALTH supplements used by millions of people to slow the ageing process may bring no real benefits, according to a series of scientific studies.

For more than a decade, many medical practitioners and makers of alternative medicines have advanced the theory that the ageing process can be warded off with supplements that mop up “free radicals”, molecules released in the metabolic process that can cause cellular damage.

However, research here and in America threatens to undermine Britain’s £350m market in these antioxidants. “There is absolutely no evidence that taking antioxidants will extend life-span,” said Rajindar Sohal, a professor at the University of Southern California and a leading researcher of ageing.

Sohal, who will shortly publish his study on antioxidants and ageing, added: “These supplements are sold for a very high profit. It’s just a rip-off.”

Much of the market is built on the “oxidative damage theory” put forward in 1956,